Blood Demons
by Makeshift Memories
Summary: What happens when a rebel camp in 1990's Sierra Leone is raided, and a silver-haired bounty hunter escapes with one of the last survivors? She's his ticket to a hefty paycheck, but is that all? AU Inuyasha, inspired by the movie Blood Diamond. SessKag
1. Chaos and Escape

The sound of explosions rocked the camp, causing the raven-haired girl to whimper as she shied away from the doors of a warehouse

The sound of explosions rocked the camp, causing the raven-haired girl to whimper as she shied away from the doors of a warehouse. Inside, several others were being held captive, but they were too frightened to go anywhere near the doors. The girl that stood there, her name was Kagome. She wore a t-shirt and pants to her shins, all rather worse for wear and two sizes too big. Her black hair was long past her shoulders, and desperately in need of some care.

She wandered to the doors again and peered outside into the chaos. RUF were running everywhere, toting guns and firing upon the government soldiers that had invaded the camp. Bullets flew everywhere, and amidst the chaos, she had to find some way to get out. Narrowing her eyes, she backed away from the doors and went to the back of the warehouse, where there was a back door.

Opening that, she saw a similar scene, but there were more dead than fighting. Thus, looking back at the others, to send the message that they should do the same thing as her, she slipped out and hugged the outer wall. She winced at the sound of another explosion, and eyed the forest right across the way. Looking at others nearby, she braced herself, then bolted. She leapt like a gazelle over bodies and ditches, splashed through mud and puddles, and ran as though the Devil himself were at her heels.

The trees were getting closer…almost there… She was home free, she knew it!

And then, sharp pain shot through her left arm, and she fell forward, grasping it. A bullet had pierced her arm, and when she rolled over on the ground in pain, she looked up to see her assailant approaching with gun in hand. She started to crawl backwards, trying to drag herself away, crying and screaming in terror.

Finally, there was a loud bang, and the man fell, a hole through his skull. Without even bothering to look and see who had killed him, she rolled over, got to her feet while still holding her arm, and took off into the vegetation, whimpering in pain and crashing through the thick foliage to get away. She thought she heard something behind her, and this only compelled her to run faster, even if she was actually slowing down from the dizziness of her already weakened body from months in the camp.

She breathed heavily, and her run slowed to a jog, then to a walk, and finally a dizzy stumble. She fell against a tree, holding her arm and shut her eyes in pain. Thinking she had elude her pursuers, she relaxed.

But a rustle kicked her back to attention. She opened her blurred eyes and looked at the green blob around her, before she pushed off the tree and took but five steps before she walked into someone. Shocked, she fell back onto the ground and looked up, only seeing a figure with long white hair before she passed out from fear and weakness.


	2. Bounty

Her body was pounding, and her arm was sore

Her body was pounding, and her arm was sore. Her head felt like someone was taking a pickax to it, and when she opened her eyes, there was thankfully no light to burn them. Holding a hand to her forehead, she sat up, and then touched her arm, surprised to find it bandaged. She groaned and looked around in the darkness trying to let her eyes adjust.

She remembered running from the camp. She remembered being shot but then escaping the man into the forest. She had thought she was safe, but then something happened, something stopped her. Kagome's pounding head distracted her from making out the details, but the fact of the matter now, was that she was alive.

There were no bombs, no chaos. In fact, it was relatively quiet besides the normal sounds of the African wilderness. Not exactly the best place for someone like her to be…but that was hardly a choice of her own.

"So kind of you to join the living." She jumped at the sound of a voice behind her and whirled in a shock. The sudden movement sent another wave of discomfort through her frame, and she groaned softly before her brown eyes caught white. There, now it clicked. She remembered the white, and it came back to her. Just before she passed out, she saw the same white. Fear gripped her, and she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Kagome started to scoot backwards, her heels kicking at the soil frantically. "Do not try to escape. It would be suicide on your part." Kagome froze, staring in absolute terror at the masculine silhouette she could now see in front of her, lit dimly by the quarter moon above. "You would not be able to outrun me anyway, girl." He growled. How true that was. His voice paralyzed her, and she started to shake, her wide eyes watching him, waiting for pain, for something.

She pulled her legs close and hugged them, trembling like a cornered mouse and digging her fingers into her thighs. "Who are you…?" She asked nervously. No response. "Are you RUF?" Again, no response. With the lack of answers, she assumed the affirmative answer. She whimpered, hugging her knees as she rested her chin on them.

What would he do to her? Why had he taken her out here alone? Her brown eyes would not leave his silhouette for as long as she could keep herself awake, and not once did he move, his eyes were seemingly fixed on something off in the distance. She willed herself to stay awake, but her body was nowhere near strong enough to maintain it. Months of mistreatment, malnourishment, and now a wound that was draining her of her energy. Eventually, exhaustion claimed her.

When she awoke again, it was still dark but the sun was beginning to rise, casting an orange glow on the dark sky. The air was cooler, but the humidity was heavy. When she looked in front of her, the male was still there, but he appeared to be asleep. She lifted her head and stared, able to see that his eyes were closed. She blinked in disbelief, staring at him for a few moments before she looked over her shoulder, than back at him.

Instinct took hold, and as quietly as she could, she got to her feet, wobbling. When she gained her balance, she started to tiptoe off into the forest, being as quiet as she could. She would pause every time she thought she made a noise and look back at the male. Still he did not move. When she was sure she was out of view of the camp, she sped up, and eventually she was running to the best of her ability in the forestry. Already her lungs ached and her body screamed at her to stop.

Golden eyes cracked open and looked off to the side, as an exasperated sigh escaped him. "Troublesome wench." He muttered, turning his head to look off where she went. He waited until he was sure she was just far enough where she would feel a false sense of security, before he stood. "Now she'll see."

Her eyes were wild with fear and the desire to escape, her entire being taken over by the desire. So much so that she did not take note of the shouts further ahead and the sound of a jeep. Crashing through the vegetation onto a muddy road, she froze like a deer in headlights when she saw one of the RUF jeeps coming just down the road. The headlights fell on her and she felt her body go cold.

After a moment, they hollered when they saw her and she backed up, before taking off into the forestry again. Kagome could hear their engines roar in pursuit, but knew the trees would stop the jeeps…but not them. She heard guns go off and rustles behind her as they dismounted the vehicle and gave chase. Kagome willed herself to go faster, but as inhumanly fast as she wished she could go, she only felt herself slow from weakness.

More of their assault rifles went off, and a bullet ricocheted off the tree in front of her, startling her and causing her to trip. She screamed and tried to get up when she felt a weight on her back and someone pulling up her head by the hair. She tried to struggle and started to cry as they surrounded her, smiling and laughing as though she were a prized doe they had just hunted and were ready to eat.

She felt a hot barrel placed against the side of her skull and she bit her tongue, breathing through her teeth as she started to shake uncontrollably. She shook her head 'no' and whimpered when she heard the weapon click. She was ready to die but not willing.

But then there was a scream from one of the men, and the one on top of her let off a bit, to see what he was gone. The next thing she knew, the weight on her back was completely gone and more gunshots were ringing out. She crawled forward and looked over her shoulder in time to see a body slam into the trunk of a tree and a flash of silver. Something was fighting them off, but she couldn't tell what.

At least until the last one was finished off with a gunshot to the head and the others retreated to their jeeps. The engines roared and the men hollered with a mix of fear and anger. When the assailant stopped, she saw the muscular male with long silver hair, and when he looked at her, she saw golden eyes with markings on his face. He did not look pleased. Kagome was frozen, waiting for him to attack. Waiting for him to lift the smoking gun in his hand and take the shot.

"I believe I told you not to attempt escape." He growled, looking her over. She continued to shake as tears left trails down her dirt-stained face. She looked around her at the damage she was sure now that he caused. And he didn't have a scratch on him. He looked…unnatural. His eyes gold and his hair a silvery white.

"W-who…what are you?" She asked in a trembling tone, hoping that this time he would answer her. He…couldn't be RUF. Not if he took out the others. He had to belong to…another side. She looked over his military garb for anything familiar, but she saw nothing.

The male advanced towards her, causing her to flinch, but he paid no mind. "My name is Sesshoumaru. Bounty Hunter." He said coolly. "And you, as a POW, are my bounty." He leaned forward and grabbed her good arm, pulling her roughly to her feet. "I cannot allow my paycheck to run away from me." He snarled, tightening his grip on her so that she winced a bit. "Now come on. We have to keep moving." He started to walk, dragging her by her arm. When she looked at his hand, she was surprised to see…claws. Her brows lifted in question, as she looked back up to his face, completely unfocused on her.

Kagome tried her best to keep pace with him so it would hurt less, but occasionally she would yank her arm against him, in some vain attempt to escape him. "Where are you taking me?" She finally asked in a brief moment of confidence.

"My camp. So I can collect my money for retrieving at least one hostage. You would do well not to die. I get nothing for a dead body." He said sternly, but smoothly. She looked at him quizzically. So she was just some check that needed to be cashed… Kagome wanted to ask more questions, but somehow knew that he would not be answering any more.

She wasn't happy…hadn't been anywhere close to that for a while, but at least she would be kept alive. Where she would end up after this, however, she couldn't be sure. But for now, she was alive…she hoped.


	3. Emergency Landings

**AN: Sorry so much for the delay. I kinda had a heavy moment of doubt on whether or not I wanted to continue this. Plus life has been a little bit busy. Anyway, Looks like I'll keep it moving, and judging by your reviews, you're itching to know a bit about their backgrounds. Fear not, all will become clear in due time.**

* * *

It was later in the afternoon and the heat had descended upon them, before they finally stopped to rest. He released her bruised arm and with the lack of support, she fell to her knees with a whimper. He hardly spared her a second glance. She reached over and grabbed her injured arm, which had started to throb terribly. It was then she realized that he must have been the one that bandaged it.

"Thanks…for bandaging my arm." She said softly, looking down at her lap. He didn't respond to it.

"There's a river just through those trees. Go clean yourself. And do not bother running. I'll find you." He said, sitting down against a tree as she stared a moment, sensing the authority in his tone and realizing now that running was certainly not her best bet. She finally struggled to her feet while Sesshoumaru turned his gaze elsewhere. Kagome used the trees around her for support, and stumbled to where she heard running water.

Finally seeing the river, she looked over her shoulder, and when sure she was out of sight, stripped down and waded into the slow-moving water. She wasn't even going to bother run, because now she knew he was her ticket out of here alive. She started to wash off the dirt and grime that had collected on her skin in the past two months. Two months ago, her town, where she, her mother, and brother were staying on vacation, was raided by RUF and she was captured. She didn't know if her family was still alive. But these past two months had been hell. She had been tortured, violated, and mentally exhausted.

And as the dirt washed from her body, the scars became clear on her skin. Her back especially, with lash marks. She dunked her head under the water and scrubbed her face and hair, before coming up just to her shoulders and sitting there, thinking.

* * *

_It was supposed to be a family trip. Souta was excited enough for it, and I guess I was too. I mean, come on. It was a trip to __Africa.__ Who wouldn't be excited? I had never been out of Japan before, and even though it was just a four-week trip with a group of other tourists, I was nervous. Mom said that she had always wanted to go there after seeing pictures of the wildlife. I thought she did her research. I trusted her with that much. But unfortunately for all of us, she didn't make an effort to find the best accommodations. I think the tour program she found could have been the shadiest one…but also one of the cheapest. We weren't that wealthy…and she seemed possessed to go. She __had__ to._

_I had been told that a lot of people there spoke English…or at least, the people we would be with. After graduating from high school, I had already learned the language well enough to hold a conversation. So I was drafted into the position as translator for Souta. Mom knew some, but not as much as I did. I would still have to help her out._

_Our group was to head up the east coast, starting in South Africa. Group? By that I mean my family, another couple, and one man on his own. A photographer and aspiring journalist. That alone should have been a tip-off…_

_I had heard parts of the country were in turmoil, but as far as I had known, we weren't supposed to be going anywhere near there. I trusted that fact, and I still kick myself for it today…_

_Anyway, it had started out as a great trip. I got into it after a while. We saw so much. Wildlife I had never seen before. The people in our disillusioned locations that were meant to portray perfection and safety for the tourists seemed nice enough. Things went smoothly, and it seemed we were hopping locations like nothing at all. Sometimes we drove, but other times, we took a small plane._

_One of our destinations, a sort of halfway point, was Senegal. We needed to take a plane from our last spot, and were told that it was a good place to visit. Apparently a new president was in power and doing a lot to better the country. Diouf? That was his name I think. It's hard to remember that now._

_We boarded the plane. Nothing was different. It…it seemed that way._

_None of us really knew what to make of it when the tour guide came in and told us in his thick British accent that we were having some problems with the craft, and would have to make an emergency landing to refuel and check some things. My mom got the gist of it, and I quickly translated for Souta. No one really panicked. There were some murmurs, but the plane wasn't spewing flames or rocking about, so there really wasn't anything to panic about._

_The closest place to land…was a strip in Sierra Leone. If I knew then what I do now, I may have started hyperventilating on the plane right then. But none of us did. It was another country, and before we knew it, we would be in the air again._

_I was the only one to notice the young man, the photographer, grow completely silent and refuse to look anywhere but his lap, where he was now quietly bouncing his knee. I made nothing of it then, and waited for us to land. Apparently the need to land was urgent enough to put us on the nearest strip, no questions asked…however vital those questions would be._

_When we touched down, we were asked to leave the plane and wait. Stepping outside, we saw no large airport. Just a tower, a dirty runway, and a lone building off to the side. It seemed to be the 'airport,' however overstated using that word made it. Everything else was just trees. Some more murmurs from the other couple with us, but that was it. Souta seemed bored, mom a little interested and me, well, I may have shared some of Souta's boredom._

_I remember the feeling of emptiness. Like we could hear nothing but the birds in the surrounding forestry. It was eerie. Something picked at the back of my mind, but I ignored it. _

_We made our way to the building, and once reaching the doors, our guide fiddle to the knob before he hummed to himself. Something about it being locked. _

_Everything after that had been a blur. I heard shouts, screams, curses. There were several gunshots, a thud, and then a piercing pain the shot through my skull. Then, blackness._

_I woke up in what I could only classify as a warehouse. A high roof, a lot of floorspace. But the majority of that space was covered by crates and boxes. I could hear whimpers next to me on both sides, and as my slowly clearing vision roamed, I could see women around me. They were bound, as I soon realized I was as well. _

_I was a POW. The people that held me there, RUF. Souta was gone, my mother was gone. The couple, the photographer, the tour guide. I was by myself with an aching pain in my skull and a dull throb through my body._

_The next two months would be the worst of my life. I would experience pain and violation like nothing before. We moved from camp to camp, essentially slaves to these rebels. I had tried to fight it. I had cried. I felt suicidal. But nothing was ever close enough to me, and my courage was never high enough. I eventually became numb. I waited for whatever came, dealt with it all with a deadpan expression. Strangely enough, everything became normal._

_What was not normal, however, was that one day. There were more gunshots than normal. Screams, explosions, panic. It was then that I snapped out of the trance that lasted for almost two months. And now…well, here I am…_

* * *

He hadn't seen anything, and from his spot only saw her back when he checked to make sure she was still there. He saw all the scars on her tanned skin and raised a brow. In addition, he took note of how incredibly thin she was, with every bone visible. He huffed and turned again, sitting against a tree and just listening with his sensitive ears.

She waded out of the water and picked up her ragged clothes. She didn't bother to dry off and just slipped on the clothes, looking at her arm afterwards. It had started to bleed through the bandages, and with her right hand untied it roughly, causing herself to wince. She walked to the water's edge and kneeled, trying to clean off the dirty cloth. Pulling it up, she wringed it out and looked at her arm. The bullet had not pierced, but instead it grazed her to leave a deep gash.

She whipped the cloth around her arm and caught the other end in the same hand, trying to tie it back up again. She winced and the cloth slipped. She cursed, and tried again. But failed to tie it.

As she continued her efforts, she heard a rustle and jumped, only to see Sesshoumaru walking over to her with an annoyed look on his face. "Are humans capable of doing anything?" He hissed as he roughly tied back the bandage, doing it rather tightly. She flinched, pulling away from him when he was done.

He huffed, and turned from her, walking to the water. Wading to knee depth, he searched the water with his golden eyes, before his arm blurred and he pulled up a fish. His claws dug into its flesh for a good hold, and with his other hand, he did the same. Casually walking back and past the amazed Kagome, he went to their little camp, where he put down the fish on a leaf and started to make a fire.

Kagome timidly followed him, and situated herself across from him, with still some distance between them. Her brown eyes eyed the fish he started to cook hungrily, like a dog waiting for food. She didn't say a word, and just watched. She didn't even expect to eat, since she was used to instead finding leftovers in the trash of the RUF. She actually expected him to eat both fish, and she would get to pick at the bones.

She took notice of the strange look he gave her when the fish was done. "What are you doing? Eat it before it burns and goes to waste. Else I'll eat it." He snapped, causing her to jump. She looked incredulous, before she crawled forward and grabbed the stick the fish was cooking on. She gave him another questioning look, but when he paid her no mind, she didn't hesitate in taking a bite from the fish. She was not going to fight the offer. She had found herself becoming a bit of an opportunist, and would do whatever she knew she could.

The taste was overwhelmingly delicious, and she couldn't control herself. She ate ravenously, almost choking in several occasions. Sesshoumaru glanced at her in vague interest, She looked like she hadn't had a decent morsel in ages. And by her visible bones, he believed it. Huffing again, he returned to his own food, which he ate in a far more dignified manner.

After they had both finished, and Kagome was making sure she did not waste a thing, she paused to look at him again. "Sesshoumaru…what are you?" She asked yet again to break the silence, and this time hoped for an answer.

"I told you, girl. A bounty hunter." He replied calmly, even if he knew what she was referring to.

"No…I mean…you don't look like a normal person…and the way you fought off the RUF back there…" She tailed off when she heard shouts far off into the distance. Sesshoumaru stood and quickly stomped on the dying fire.

"It would appear that the ones I dealt with earlier have rounded up some friends." He looked at her, "Come, they are after us, and I am sure you do not wish to go back."

Kagome looked frightened and got up as well. More easily this time. "But you didn't answer my question." She persisted.

"That is not priority. Now come." The shouts got louder, and he went to grab her arm, but she backed away.

"I can go myself. I don't want another bruised arm." She protested, and he glanced at the bruise and claw marks on her right arm.

"Very well. But you had better keep pace." He said, before he turned and started walking off, rather quickly. Kagome perked and moved to follow him, pushing her weak body to stay close behind him. But he was gradually moving father ahead, and the shouts behind her were getting louder. She pushed herself more, and when she started to hear gunshots, tried to run. But she couldn't see Sesshoumaru anymore, and she panicked.

More gunshots, this time aimed at her. But luckily they all missed. She became erratic in her running pattern, and her eyes widened.

"Foolish wench." She heard a voice, and for a moment thought she had been caught. But then she felt herself scooped up, and looking up, she saw Sesshoumaru, holding her bridal style. He scowled at her, and she yelped when they suddenly picked up speed and hey were racing at inhuman speeds through the forestry. She grabbed onto his military vest for support and she shut her eyes, frightened but relieved that the sounds of shouting and gunshots had ceased.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the frightened girl in his arms, and by the slightest fraction, his golden gaze softened. He couldn't blame her for not keeping up. She was a walking skeleton for goodness sake. But he could blame her for insisting that she go on her own. She could have been shot, and there would go his paycheck. To this, he discarded all feelings of sympathy and instead replaced them with annoyance. But he would at least answer her question.

"I'm a demon. Alive specifically to fight this war." He said calmly, looking ahead of him. Kagome looked up at him incredulously, before she released her grip on his vest and instead held onto herself. He huffed. Of course now she was wary of him. Everyone always was.

"Well…" She started, softly, "Least I know now that my chances of dying out here and getting back home have increased." She tried to make light of the situation, but no one laughed and her tone was uselessly glum and weak. Except Sesshoumaru was a little surprised. Regardless, he continued as he was, until they stopped abruptly at the edge of the forest, and were overlooking savannah. He grunted and set her down roughly, causing her to yip but hold her balance anyway.

Her brown gaze surveyed the open expanse and analyzed the danger it posed. She was wary going into the open, when, "We'll move at nightfall. Until then, we'll camp here." He said sternly, turning to a tree before leaping up into the branches with ease and settling on one. Kagome watched again in awe, but when he caught her staring, she looked away quickly and went to go settle against a tree trunk. She pulled her knees close and stared out over the plains, resting her chin on her knees.

Sesshoumaru did the same for a moment, before looking down at the thin girl. Looking at her eyes, she had such deep etchings of torment and fear in her gaze. She always appeared afraid, and even the slightest noise would make her jump. What had happened to her in the time in the RUF camp? He knew she was tortured, scarred, and starved physically just by her appearance, but what about mentally? What sort of mental torment, scarring had she sustained?

After a few thoughts, he shook them away, deeming them superficial and irrelevant. She was a ticket to his next paycheck, a tool, a package. No further thought was necessary on her behalf. Thus, he shifted his gaze back to the plains. But he should at least know what his package was called. "It's rude to ask for my name and not give your own." He said coolly.

Kagome looked up, surprised from the sudden break of silence, but she quickly calmed herself. "Ano…Kagome." She responded softly, looking at her feet. After a moment, she spoke up again. "Are you sure we lost…them?" She asked warily, looking up into the tree. He was not looking at her but instead at the plains.

"Don't be foolish." He snapped, which she assumed was his way of saying 'yes' to her inquiry.

With that, she rested her chin back on her knees, and waited.


End file.
